Cult Members Found Dead in South Korea

[October 9, 1998]

Six members of the Youngsang ("Everlasting Life") Church, led by doomsday cult leader Woo Jong-min, 57, were found dead in a suspected self-immoliation ritual in Seoul, South Korea on October 5, 1998. The six followers and their leader, discovered Monday in Yangyang, about 85 miles east of Seoul, were burned beyond recognition in a van, according to reports from the Korea Broadcasting System. Senior police investigator Kim Bong-yon told MBC-TV, "It appears to be a religious suicide pact."

The news shocked South Korea, in the midst of preparations for celebrating the lunar holiday, Chusok. It is not known whether the date was significant to the cult members who perished in the van. While the Everlasting Life Church's membership has dwindled in recent years, promises of eternal life attracted thousands of devotees.

Leader Woo's sister, according to KBS, stated that Woo told her the seven were searching for a place to die for their beliefs. No information regarding foul play has been confirmed, although it was discovered that in 1993, Woo was arrested for fraud. Police report that some of the church's followers seem to have disappeared.